Wrath of the Cooper Protectors
by Valin Dymos
Summary: Post Sly 3.UPDATED CHAPTER 10. Sly must pay for quitting his thieveing ways. Sly and Carm spend time together.
1. Do I regret anything? No!

Hello everyone, I'm not new to but this is my first Sly Cooper fiction and I hope that you all will give me a warm reception. This story will mostly revolve around Sly and Carmelita. Well please give this a chance and hopefully you'll like it enough to leave a review. BTW, if you want me to review any stories you all wrote leave me a message and I'll read your fiction Asap. Kay now on with the story.

Chapter 1: Do I regret anything? No! But others may not like that.

She was absolutely everything to him. His world. His love. His very life. Without her he had no reason for existence. Not even his thieving legacy mattered in contrast to her. And that is why he chose to give it up. For her. His angel, Carmelita Montoya Fox. She was divine, an ethereal personification of perfection utterly void of all flaws and faults, at least that's how he saw her. Sly Cooper, master thief, leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the desk in front of him. He was clad in a blue long sleeve shirt with gold trim around the neck. Blue gloves with gold trim adorned his paws. A gold belt was strapped around his waist, a small holster held a gold shock pistol and a metal version of his calling card was the buckle. He wore gray pants that perfectly matched his gray fur. On his feet were blue boots and on his head his favorite blue cap. It was his traditional thieves outfit and pretty much his favorite thing to wear.

It had been two days since he and his friends had finally gotten inside the Cooper family vault. He realized several things that day, although it took quite a bit for him to realize said things. "Quite a bit," meaning almost being eaten alive by a giant dinosaur. Maybe it was certain death, or perhaps it was Bentley and Penelope's influence on him that changed him. Whatever the case, he was finally positive that he couldn't live without Carmelita. He always knew he loved being pursued by her, and flirting with her was quite pleasing. Making her angry was one of his most beloved past times too. But as time passed he realized he wanted to know more about her. Not just the small things but stuff that really mattered. Her likes, her dislikes, her favorite places to go, even why her views were so black and white and why she became a cop. After all if he was going to try and make her happy he'd have to know these things.

Eventually he got that chance. Shortly after the defeat of Clock-la he turned himself in for the sake of Bentley and Murray. That single helicopter ride was a major turning point in his life. She fascinated him in a way no other person had before. He had experienced many exciting events in his life but that one conversation with her was his most cherished memory. It may not have been considered "big" to many people, but to him it was special. For once in their adventures they weren't officer and thief, they were just people. They concealed nothing from each other. They both put their differences aside and conversed like people, maybe even like a couple.

But all good things must come to an end, as did their perfect time together. He didn't want to leave her but the prospect of being locked in a grimy jail cell just wasn't something that appealed to him. So he escaped. It was a bittersweet victory however. After that day he was struggling internally every second. Being an effective member of his gang, recruiting others to help with the Cooper vault heist, and finding out about his ancestors just seemed like trite experiences. He really tried to focus but every time he put his heart in it she would appear and remind him of what really mattered, simply by looking at him. So he made a rash decision. After Dr. M blasted him, he faked amnesia. The blast wasn't that painful but he knew when it connected it sure looked it and he knew Carmelita was worried about him, so he took a chance. It worked. He left Bentley and the others his cane, his key holster, and the Thievius Raccoonis. He left his whole life behind him, becoming Carmelita's partner, "Constable Cooper."

Over the course of the weekend Carmelita had somehow convinced the bigwigs at Interpol to Pardon him of his crimes and provide him with a job as her partner. She even let him stay at her apartment, although her excuse for it always made him chuckle on the inside. "You're between apartments so I'm letting you stay with me until you find one," She'd say as her cheeks quickly turned a bright shade of red. What entertained him even more was the way she avoided the subject of Dr. M's island. Whenever he inquired about it she'd quickly change the subject. After a while of teasing though, he decided to stop asking, after all she might suspect something if he pursued it too much.

Sly took a thoughtful look around his office. He was fortunate enough to get the office right next to hers, or possibly that was due to her persuasion as well. He was glad though. He was close to her and that was all that mattered. For once in his life he felt as if he had no problems. He didn't have to worry about getting arrested, Clockwerk was a thing of the past, and he was close to the one person he cared about most. Bentley and Murray understood, he knew it. After all Bentley had Penelope, and Murray just wasn't the type of person who got depressed much.

There was still one thing he couldn't get out of his head though. The Cooper family name had always been synonymous with righteous thieves. Now he was an officer. He gave up everything the Cooper's had struggled to keep alive for so long. They had gone through so many hardships, risking their lives knowing that Clockwerk was out there somewhere, waiting for his chance to strike. And yet to uphold the family name they did what was expected of them. He gave away everything of Cooper fame. Their Cane, the Thievius Raccoonis, he gave it all up for her. What would his ancestors think? More importantly what would his father think?

He couldn't help but feel a little selfish, but he made his choice and he would see it through to the end. Still, no matter how hard he tried to put it at the back of his mind he couldn't ignore the horrible feeling of disapproval. Disapproval from people who loathed the decision he made, people who would make him pay dearly for it…

"This isn't good, this is not good." A coyote that appeared to be around the age of nineteen paced uneasily about his apartments living room. His fur was a light shade of orange and seemed to be exceptionally soft. The hair on his head was parted so that it covered the left half of his face, including the eye, down to his chin. It was also orange although it was the only part of his fur that also had thin streaks of black in it. His attire was even more eccentric than his visage. On his upper body was a long sleeved shirt colored pure white. However the left sleeve was completely gone, ripped off at the shoulder. Over the white shirt was a black zippered vest with short sleeves, left open. He wore beige cargo pants which had at least a dozen pockets strewn about them. Simple black sneakers covered his feet.

His apartment would've been considered cluttered and maybe even a little creepy by normal people. Photographs, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles enveloped the walls and most of the furniture, every piece of information on the master thief Sly Cooper. The coyote sat down on his couch, brushing aside a couple photos.

"I can do this, it's not that big a deal." He mused. His legs bounced nervously as he tried his hardest to calm himself down. "Seven, time to make the call." He reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a cell phone. He pounded some numbers, placed the receiver to his ear and then waited. After three rings a voice spoke from the other end of the connection.

"What is your report Matthias?" The coyote felt a lump form in his throat. He swallowed hard and replied slowly.

"Sly Cooper…has abandoned his families ways." Silence ensued. After what seemed like an eternity to the uncomfortable coyote the person on the other end spoke again.

"You know what must be done Matthias. And don't forget, if you fail your life will be forfeit." And then the line went dead. Matthias closed his cell phone and stared out his window. Paris was beautiful at this time of day. It was just too bad he had more pressing matters to tend to.

"Why did you do this Sly? Because of Carmelita?" Matthias crept to the door of his apartment. "Well you brought this upon yourself."

A/N:That's all for this chapter. Hope you all liked it. I like the idea for this story and hopefully so will all of you, the readers. I want to thank everyone who gave this story a chance, and hopefully I'll be able to converse with you in the future. Please leave any kind of feedback, it would be greatly appreciated. Until next time everyone.

Valin


	2. A most anticipated Dinner

Hey everyone thanks for the reviews. Kitty I'm reading your stories right now and I have to say they're pretty awesome. Well thanks to all of my reviewers and let me say I'll get around to reading and reviewing all of your stories soon. Well I got really unlucky and my computer broke so I had to buy another one. But oh well, I'm just happy I get to post again. You know the drill read and review! Thanks.

Wrath of the Cooper Protectors Chapter 2

**A most anticipated Dinner…and an encounter with a psychopath?**

Carmelita Fox sat in her office reflecting on the events that had transpired over the last few days. She wore her traditional police attire, blue jeans, blue tube top, a brown jacket worn open, and boots. The day had slowly crawled by and she was itching to leave. Truthfully before Sly had become a part of Interpol she loved spending countless hours at work. Of course those countless hours were all spent trying to catch Sly. Right now though, she just wanted to be close to him.

'_Ringtail.' _She thought with a smile as she began to blush. She had always felt something for the criminal but that was the problem, he was a criminal. But now, now she finally could be close to him without compromising her beliefs. The whole day she had been hoping and praying that Chief Barkley would give them a case they could work on together. Unfortunately all they both got was paperwork, which took nearly the whole day to finish. The monotony of the work coupled with the boredom of it was beginning to take a toll on Carmelita's mind.

'_What am I doing?' _She thought sighing heavily. _'I shouldn't be lying to him like this, it's wrong.' _She was steadfast in her beliefs in justice and to her lying was horrible even if she was the one doing it. _'But wouldn't telling him the truth be even worse?' _She asked herself. She felt too strongly for him to tell him the truth. Doing such a thing would be like condemning him to a life in prison for crimes he didn't even remember committing. No, she couldn't tell him the truth, not after what he'd done for her. Seeing him get shot by Dr. M all because of her, because he cared about her well being was something that made her feel like she wronged him. And then she found out protecting her had cost him his memories.

She felt terrible for it. She couldn't just arrest him under those circumstances. So she tried to her best to help him. No, that wasn't true. She had made a very selfish decision. She just wanted Sly to be close to her and if she told him he was a cop and her partner she had figured her problems would be solved. Somehow her scheme worked and almost everything seemed to be working out. Sly was living with her, working with her, and going places with her. He even had the office next to hers. But with all this good fortune came a new set of problems.

Sly had changed quite a bit after losing his memory, or so it seemed to her. He had stopped being flirty and seemed to be distant from her. Sure his comments had always irritated her to a certain extent, but she liked the attention. Not that she didn't get attention elsewhere, it was just Sly was the only person that she cared to get it from. She'd never admit it to anyone but she cared deeply for the raccoon, more so than anybody else in her life. And that's why his change scared her so much. Did he still care about her? Did he love her? She just didn't know and it scared her more than she had ever been scared in her life.

With a discontented sigh she turned her gaze up to the clock. Seven twenty five. Thirty five more minutes until her and Sly went to eat and then headed home. Together. She could feel a smile forming on her face at the thought of going home with Cooper, her worries forgotten for the time being. Having already finished the paperwork assigned to her, she decided to take a well deserved rest; after all she didn't want to be half asleep in front of Sly while they were eating. As she eased back in her chair she was vaguely aware of sleep taking hold of her. However before she had a chance to rest she was jerked out of her peace by the ringing of her phone. She pressed the button marked Front Desk and spoke.

"Inspector Fox speaking, what is it Tracy?" A hint of irritation tinged Carmelita's voice.

"Miss Fox there's someone here to see Constable Cooper." The Feline receptionist Tracy answered. Carmelita's heart skipped a beat. An old friend of Sly's could spell disaster for everything she worked so hard to build. Getting Tracy to promise to notify her of anything relating to Sly turned out to be a good idea after all.

"Did you get a name?" Carmelita asked.

"He says his name is Jim Grey." The receptionist responded. Carmelita typed the name into the Interpol database on her computer as fast as her fingers could. No files were found.

"Please send him to my office Tracy." Carmelita said before hanging up. _'It's a fake name.' _She thought as she looked up at the clock once again. Seven forty. Twenty more minutes until they were scheduled to leave. If this guy saw Sly it could mean big trouble. Carmelita began to slowly massage her temple, the stress giving her a slight headache. She'd have to get 'Mr. Grey,' to leave before Sly saw him. Seven Forty Five. A light series of taps echoed off her office door.

"Come in!" Carmelita nearly yelled, surprised by the sudden sound. The door knob slowly turned and the door creaked open. Carmelita held her breath as she waited for the visitor's appearance. After all, the friends of thieves could be pretty intimidating. This guy could be seven feet tall and built like a tank. The Coyote, Matthias, stepped into her office a heartwarming smile plastered on his face. The persona Jim Grey made it easy for Matthias to operate incognito. Carmelita stared at the Coyote completely flabbergasted. Here she was expecting some muscle bound criminal and instead got a young boy.

"Hello my name is Jim, I'm looking for Sly Cooper and the receptionist sent me to this office." Matthias said as he stepped forward and offered the vixen an open paw. Carmelita shook it with a look of confusion on her face. The Coyote's outfit was very flashy as was the hair on his head.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Grey, I'm Inspector Fox." The paw shake broke and an uncomfortable silence gripped the room. Matthias looked left then right before turning his gaze upon Carmelita once again.

"So…Can I talk to Sly?" He inquired. Carmelita took a deep breath as she tried to get all of her thoughts in order. She would have to find out what this guy wanted and she knew it could prove to be very difficult.

"Sure. But if it's alright with you I'd like to ask you a few questions first." She asked in the sweetest voice she could muster. Matthias sighed and then laughed a bit.

"Yeah go ahead Inspector." Carmelita glanced at her computer screen. There was no data on this guy so he was either using a fake name or he was some kind of hermit.

"So where do you know Constable Cooper from?" She asked with a smile. Matthias crossed his arms and began walking around the office.

"We first met at the Happy Camper orphanage." He paused in front of her desk for a moment as he noticed several books piled on it, all on the subject of the mind. _'What's a cop doing with books like these?' _He pondered. Carmelita noticed his obvious staring and cleared her throat rather loudly. Matthias turned his attention back to the vulpine. Carmelita knew he was lying about meeting Sly at the orphanage, unless of course he had met him there on a visit. Every orphanage was in the Interpol database as well as all the orphans at each. If Mr. Grey really was telling the truth he'd have been in the database.

"Were you an orphan there as well?" Carmelita asked bluntly.

"Isn't that a little personal?" Matthias glared at her a hint of anger in his voice.

"Is it?" Carmelita's expression turned to one of naivety.

"Yes, I was an orphan as well." Matthias growled through clenched teeth as he turned away from her desk.

'_I knew it.' _Carmelita smiled victoriously. Now she knew he was lying, but the question was did he know she knew? If he didn't she might be able to get more information out of him. "I'm sorry, it was just a question." She said trying to sound as sympathetic as possible.

"Yeah, whatever, can I see Sly now?" Matthias calmed down a little and leaned against her office door.

"Just one more question?" Carmelita asked as she leaned forward onto her elbows and interlocked her fingers. A barely discernable growl escaped Matthias' throat.

"Fine." He narrowed his eyes at her looking all together rather intimidating.

"What is your reason for visiting Sly?" Carmelita asked calmly. A slight chuckle escaped Matthias' muzzle which slowly escalated into outright laughter. Carmelita didn't understand the change in his demeanor. Up until now she felt no malice coming from the Coyote. But now she felt very threatened. _'If this guy is crazy I'll need my shock pistol.' _She thought as she slid a paw toward her top drawer where her shock pistol was placed. Her paw was millimeters away from the handle when Matthias drew her attention.

"Don't even think about pulling any weapons on me, I'm much faster than you are!" He said menacingly. Carmelita stopped moving, noticing he had a paw deep in one of his pockets.

'_If he has a gun he could draw it quick and fire off a shot before I even have a chance to grab mine! He has the advantage.' _She calmly put her paws back on her desk. "So what's your real name Jim?" She asked. The Look on Matthias' face sent shivers down the vixen's spine.

"You think I'd tell you? I'm not a fool Carmelita Montoya Fox!" He nearly barked her name. Carmelita was taken back by his statement.

"How do you know my middle name?" She asked feeling a bit fearful of the Coyote. A wide grin came to Matthias' face.

"I know all about you Carmelita. I know all about Sly Cooper as well and it would be in your best interest to take me to him now!"

Well that's it for now. I was originally going to make this chapter longer but I decided to cut it short. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think in a review. Laters everyone.


	3. Revelations and Threats

OMG peoples I'm sorry if you read my story I sucko so bad and hadn't updated for the longest anyway I've got the next 3 chapters written already so they'll be up in the coming whatever's. So anyway thanks so much for the reviews and enjoy if you will. Thank you!

Wrath of the Cooper Protectors Chapter 3

Revelations and Threats 

"You think you know more about Sly Cooper than I do?" Carmelita couldn't help but scoff at the arrogant coyote. Matthias laughed as he paced in front of her desk never taking an eye off of her.

"Yes Inspector Fox, I do." Carmelita seethed at his response.

"I've spent years studying Cooper as well as his family history and every one of his friends and acquaintances. I've pursued him and his gang for years, and you have the audacity to say that!" She was shaking in anger. Matthias couldn't help but smile at the beautiful vixen. She really was quite lovely when she was angry.

"Alright Inspector, I'll give you a tiny glimpse at the expanse of my knowledge." He placed his paws on her desk and stared directly into her eyes. "I know all about your adventures in Haiti with Mz. Ruby. I know about how he tricked you in Clockwerk's volcano in Russia." Carmelita winced, remembering how Sly had genuinely hurt her that day. "Letting him kiss you like that Inspector. For shame." Matthias smirked as he backed up and leaned on her office door. Carmelita's cheeks turned a deep red in embarrassment. Not that she hadn't enjoyed it, quite the opposite, but it had left her confused and in deep emotional pain. She had never figured out if Sly had kissed her because he had feelings for her or if he did it just to escape. "That's not all Inspector, Neyla betrayed both of you to the Contessa, who might I add was in the Klaww gang. Not only that but Sly and his gang saved you from her despite your actions toward them. Hmph, what's really sad is that Sly managed to escape a helicopter you were in." Matthias could see in her eyes that some of these memories were painful for her to hear. Taking a deep breath Carmelita tried to put up a strong front.

"That's it?" She asked although in all honesty she was amazed at all the things the coyote knew.

"No, not even close." He hissed. "The Cooper family vault, Dr. M, everything! The one thing that puzzles me is why he left the island with you instead of his gang." He gripped the object in his pocket even tighter.

'_He doesn't know about Sly's amnesia!' _Carmelita's eyes widened before she quickly masked her surprise. "So what are you planning?" He lip curled baring her very sharp fangs. Matthias would not let her intimidate her.

"You can't keep him from us forever, eventually one of us will get to him!" He whispered as he drew the dagger he had in his pocket and flung it at Carmelita with perfect precision. Carmelita had been anticipating an attack of some sort and so was prepared. She threw her weight to the side, the blade of the dagger barely missing her ear but cutting off several strands of her long hair. For a moment her gaze was transfixed on the dagger. It was stuck several inches in her chair where her head had been seconds before. Shaking off the sense of dread she reached into her drawer and pulled out her shock pistol. She took a quick peek over her desk but the coyote was nowhere in sight. Placing a paw on the desk she vaulted over and dashed out of her office. The hall was completely empty. "Must've gone out the window." She mused as she glanced down at her watch. Eight exactly. The door behind her opened. She whirled around and pointed her shock pistol at who she thought was the coyote. Sly Cooper stood in front of her, his hands up in an I give up manner.

"Something wrong Inspector?" Sly asked with a look of puzzlement on his face. Carmelita breathed a sigh of relief before holstering her pistol.

"No not a thing." She smiled brightly. Sly smiled instantly.

"Well then, Ms. Fox are you ready to go?" Carmelita smiled her worries almost completely forgotten.

"Sure just let me shut down my computer." She said as she stepped back into her office. Sly waited right outside the door. Carmelita was walking on water, that is until she saw the dagger embedded in her chair. She took a moment to examine it before pulling it out after some "gentle" persuasion. With it safely in her coat pocket she shut down her computer and walked out of the office, locking the door behind her. Sly fell into step next to her. She was very conflicted being positively overjoyed at being so close to Sly but being worried over the psychotic coyote. As they stepped into the elevator there were various questions running through her head. Just who was the coyote? What did he want with Sly? Who else was he working with? And most importantly, should she tell Sly about him?

Short but sweet I suppose. Anyway thanks a lot and if you want to chat or want me to review your story or anything check out my profile and send me an e-mail or message. I love making new friends. Anyway laters everyone.

p.s. If you notice any errors please tell me in a review. Thanks.


	4. The Coyote

Hey everyone what's going on? I'm doing well. Hopefully everyone out there is happy and living life to the fullest. Yeah I'm kind of bummed out about getting only one review last chapter but that's okay. I want to thank Heiduska very much for the review. Anyway yeah guys please if you read this drop a review even if it's short like "Meh". Well R&R please and thank you in advance.

Chapter 4: The Coyote

Matthias crouched atop Interpol Headquarters like a stone gargoyle surveying the ground below. He stood motionless for several minutes reflecting on the events that had just transpired. He reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a small set of binoculars. He calmly gazed through them at the entrance of the large building. Sooner or later Sly Cooper would have to come out and that's when Matthias would act.

Of course, Carmelita would more then likely be with the Raccoon, and the short tempered vixen was not someone you wanted to piss off. Matthias had not expected her to be so…protective of Sly. "No Way!" Matthias gasped. "She really does like him!" The startling revelation nearly sent Matthias plummeting off the building. He had heard the rumors. Newscasters reported stories of feelings between the two but that was all merely speculation. Even during Matthias' missions he would see Sly flirt with her, but it seemed relatively one sided to the coyote. "How could a dedicated cop fall for a master thief?" He whispered to himself still staring at the ground below. "That makes everything so much more complicated." He sighed as he brushed the hair out of his face with his paw.

The Fox's had been around for a while, but not nearly as long as Matthias' family. He had nothing against Carmelita; in fact he found her sense of duty to be somewhat inspiring. Threatening her life like he did had made him feel truly wretched. But the world needed the Coopers, or at least, that's what he had been taught from birth. Still deep in contemplation he hadn't detected the individual behind him.

"Matt." A female voice drifted into his ears. He turned around, drawing a dagger from his pocket as he did. Just as he was about to let it go he froze and gaped at the woman.

"Rina!?!" A Hazel furred female wolf stood in front of him, an unconcerned expression on her face. She wore a white tank top with an open red jacket over it. Tight blue jeans covered her slender legs and a red belt with a red heart shaped buckle was around her waist. Red fingerless gloves were on her paws and brown sandals were on her feet. Her long straight hair had black highlights in it, much like Matthias'. Her bangs parted in an upside down "V". Her eyes were an ethereal shade of emerald. She had the face, and body, of an angel. She was altogether extremely attractive. "What…What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages!" Matthias nearly gushed as he pulled the lupine into a tight hug. There was no reciprocation.

"Not since Valin was punished for failing to protect Sly's father." She said into his chest. Matthias drew back and stared into her eyes. She was still heartbroken, even after all these years.

"Wait a minute, what's going on Rina? What are you doing here?" He searched her face but to no avail.

"Father sent me." Matthias turned away from her in anger, stalking away to the edge of the roof.

"What did he say?" Matthias' joy at seeing his younger sister completely dissipated. His father had never sent good news to anyone.

"He says you have one day to persuade Sly to rethink his decisions." She spoke with no particular care. Matthias turned around and stared at her in shock. Surely she was playing some sort of horribly unfunny joke on him.

"But, but I'm supposed to get a week. Arimahs family law clearly states that when a Cooper abandons his duty the guardian at the time gets a week to convince him otherwise!" His voice was dripping with desperation.

"Yes, it does. It also states that the head of the family can change any particular law depending on the situation." She could see the fear in her brothers' eyes and yet she didn't care. She wasn't heartless, but seeing what she had at such an early age had affected her deeply.

"Why would father do that? I don't think that's enough time." Matthias' discomfort was apparent in his panicked voice.

"Matt you have no choice. Father will not hesitate to kill you should you fail. Just look at what he did to brother." With those painful words she left him. Matthias had known his brothers' death had affected Rina. It had affected all of his family, but not to that extent. He shook his head in disbelief.

"This isn't a mission, this is a death sentence." He gazed down at the entrance again, his mood several times darker. Sly and Carmelita walked out of the building next to each other. It was worth noting however, that there was no physical contact between the couple. "I won't fail." Matthias vowed through clenched teeth.

That's all for now everyone hopefully you liked this chapter. I've decided to write shorter chapters cause I tend to think people won't read a story if the chapters are too long. Meh, maybe if I get some sort of fan base I'll write longer chapters. Please leave a review. Thanks and until next time.

Valin


	5. Dinner?

Hello again peoples. Once again I am continuing my story after such a long hiatus because that's just how I am. My computer broke and then my 360 so yeah that's like 2000 dollars down the drain. Well, there's always good ol' I suppose. So yeah hope you like this chapter and drop a review if you can. Thanks a lot.

Chapter 5: Dinner

It was simple enough for Matthias to trail the swooning couple. It was as if the rooftops of Paris were built for running atop. 'No wonder Sly gets around up here so easily.' He mused. Monitoring the Cooper gang all across the world was somewhat difficult in most places, but Paris was by far the easiest to get around. Matthias stood on the roof of the building opposite the restaurant Sly and Carmelita had parked at. 'Fancy place, they must be getting close.' He thought as he waited for the two to exit the car. As they stepped out of the car they started toward the building close to each other but still making no physical contact. Matthias could easily see that Carmelita was nearly glowing. Figuratively, of course. 'Must be the Cooper charm at work.' He chuckled to himself. A few minutes after Sly and Carmelita entered the restaurant Matthias leapt off the roof to the ground landing with hardly any sound. Walking toward the restaurant he sorted his thoughts. 'This has to go perfect…Or I'm sunk.' He thought grimly as he entered the restaurant.

Carmelita was ecstatic as she got out of the car. There was something about Cooper that just made her feel…right. As she walked with him into the restaurant she felt perfectly safe. Sly could see the joy on her face and decided to take a chance. She was taken by surprise when he grasped her hand in his. Carmelita looked at him in confusion. The Raccoon smiled sweetly back at the vixen and her heart melted. She quickly brushed her lips against his cheek sending a shock through his body. They were both jubilant as they walked up to the hostess. The female panther offered a wide smile to the thrilled couple.

"Name Please." She said looking down at the list in front of her.

"Fox." Carmelita leaned into sly as she spoke.

"Right this way Ms. Fox." The Panther said as she led them to their table. As the trio walked through the restaurant several customers stared and whispered amongst themselves. Carmelita had managed to keep the news about Sly secret from everyone outside of Interpol including the press. But she was fully aware that things like this might happen. Sly knew exactly what was going on. He smiled even bigger at the people who looked more shocked then others. Even Carmelita smiled at the gaping observers. She couldn't fathom what was running through their minds.

"Here we are." The pantheress smiled politely at the pair before going back to her position at the front of the restaurant. Sly pulled the chair out for his beloved and then took his own seat across from her. They stared into each others blissful eyes.

"So…how was your day?" Sly asked with his trademark grin.

"Terrible until we met in the hall at work." She responded before taking a sip of her water.

"So then you've been looking forward to this as much as I have?" He questioned.

Matthias leisurely strolled into the restaurant. He was hoping and praying that his luck would somehow get him through this. He noticed Alyssa was working tonight and his mood brightened instantly. "Hey Alyssa how are you?" He spoke aloud not seeing Sly or Carmelita in the general vicinity. Alyssa the panther hostess that had just seated Sly and Carmelita smiled at the Coyote.

"Matthias, you must be here because of Sly." She whispered to him. Alyssa was one of the many informants for the Arimahs family and so knew exactly what the family's duties were. Carmelita ate at this restaurant on many occasions and so Sly would often spy on her here, and in turn Guardians were here often. An informant for this location was a given. Alyssa was paid a generous fee to help the family whenever they asked for it and she remained under cover so she didn't mind doing it.

"Yeah, look I need to get close to Sly and I need your help." Matthias said with a devious smile.

"Of course!" Carmelita responded truthfully. Sly could see the joy in her eyes and it seemed to reinforce his courage. His first risk had paid off handsomely and so he decided to take another. He placed his paws palm up on the table and looked directly at her. Carmelita took the hint and placed her paws in his. Sly squeezed lightly and gazed deeply into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Carmelita…I have to tell you something." Sly spoke in all seriousness. Carmelita's heart skipped a beat. Sly was having that magical effect on her again and she was short of breath.

"Yes?" She asked in a daze. Sly took a deep breath and smiled

"It's like this Carm, I…" Sly looked up, looking angrily at hostess standing behind Carmelita. "Yes?" Sly asked Alyssa impatiently. Carmelita nearly fell out of her chair, wanting desperately to know what Cooper was going to say.

"Ms. Fox Chief Barkley of Interpol just called and left a message for you. He would like you to call him back as soon as possible." Alyssa spoke politely to the vixen. Carmelita was confused.

"Why didn't he just call me on my ce…" She stopped mid sentence as she searched her purse. 'I must have forgotten it.' She sighed. "I'll be right back Sly." She said as she followed Alyssa. As she walked to the front desk her woman's intuition was going crazy. Something was going to happen but she couldn't say what exactly.

"Here you are Ms. Fox." Alyssa smiled indicating the phone. Carmelita's boss had not really called for her, but Matthias would already be speaking to Sly. All Alyssa had to do was apologize for the mistake she made. As Carmelita picked up the phone and began dialing her bosses number she heard her car alarm going wild.

"Ever have one of those nights?" Carmelita chuckled at the pantheress as she pulled the keys out of her pocket and shut the alarm off. Just as it quieted down it started up once again. With an angry growl Carmelita exited the restaurant and walked toward her automobile. As she drew near she saw a wolf leaning against her hood nonchalantly.

"Hello Carmelita." He said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"What are you doing?" Carmelita seethed.

"Sorry about the car but I had to get you out here somehow." He said as he let out a long breath and smiled slightly at the vixen.

"What is this about?" Carmelita asked. The wolf laughed slightly and stood up.

"I hear you're having problems with a certain Coyote." He stated as he slipped his paws into his pants pockets.

"How do you know that?" She asked cautiously. The wolf shook his head.

"Does it matter?" He asked. Carmelita's paw slowly drifted down to her shock pistol.

"Yes it does. Now what is this about?" She asked her hand gripping the handle of the pistol. The Wolf smiled brightly.

"His name is Matthias Arimahs and he's my brother."

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it to a certain extent. Yeah drop a review if you can and I'll post another chapter later.


	6. Wolf

Next Chapter for this story. Thanks a lot to the reviewers from last chapter. This story should be getting updated constantly now cause I want to write a trilogy of it. Look for the next chapter between Wednesday and Friday of next week. Anyway thanks for reading everyone. I appreciate it.

Chapter 5: Wolf

Sly Cooper sat completely dumbfounded. His eyes were closed. His fists clenched in anger. The raccoon hardly ever lost his cool but he was pretty close right about now. He was going to do it. Everything was going so well. And just as he was about to tell Carmelita how he felt she was pulled away. By a trivial phone call from the boss now less. He was beginning to think the universe was against the idea of Sly and Carmelita Cooper. It was wearing Sly out. How stealing priceless artifacts was easier than love was something Sly thought he'd never figure out. He was so deep in thought he hadn't noticed the coyote approach his table. Matthias lightly coughed. Sly opened his eyes and stared at the coyote.

'So the stalker makes his appearance.' Sly thought. "Can I help you?" He asked with a grin. The Coyote wasn't very intimidating and Sly had a shock pistol at his side so he wasn't at a disadvantage. Matthias offered a friendly smile.

"My name is Matthias and I'd like to chat."

Carmelita was shocked. Just who was this wolf? Why was he here? And most importantly what did he want? She swiftly drew her shock pistol and aimed it directly at his chest.

"Don't move!" She growled. The wolf let out a sigh.

"Whatever you say." This wolf wasn't just some random loser messing with her car like she initially thought. Carmelita decided to make a note of his appearance. His fur was a clean white. He wore a long sleeved black shirt and slightly baggy blue jeans. Black boots covered his feet. He had a white scarf around his neck that extended down to his waist. He wasn't built or big by any means, average weight and about as tall as Carmelita. He appeared to be no older than 20. The most interesting thing the lupine was his eyes. Both light brown and very weary, making him look as if he might pass out at the drop of a dime. Carmelita kept the pistol trained on him, not entirely sure how to handle the situation

"What do you and your brother want?" She asked.

"Can't we do this a like civilized people?"

"Apparently not." She retorted remembering Matthias' rash actions.

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark and assume Matt threatened you." The wolf said indifferently.

"Let's just say I almost became intimately familiar with one of his daggers." Carmelita replied.

"What a pity." He said with no real emotion. Carmelita couldn't tell if he was being caring or being harsh. Either way her patience was wearing thin.

"Look wolf, either you start cooperating with me or I take you in. It's as simple as that." She was nearly yelling at this point.

"What makes you think I'll go quietly? You really have no grounds for an arrest." The wolf said smugly.

"All right that's it. Put your paws in the air you're under arrest!" She took a cautious step forward.

"And if I refuse?" He asked calmly. Carmelita was pleased. Now at least he was somewhat resisting arrest.

"If you refuse then I'll…"

"I know what Matt wants with Sly." He cut her off. The vixen was caught off guard once again. Her grip on her shock pistol slackened ever so slightly causing its barrel to lower a bit. It was just the chance the lupine was waiting for. He drew a pistol out from the holster at his side, just out of Carmelita's sight due to his scarf. In a split second the wolf took a single shot at Carmelita's shock pistol. The bullet connected with perfect accuracy, disarming the astonished vixen. However Carmelita was no slouch herself. As the wolf drew his pistol Carmelita was simultaneously drawing her own concealed pistol with her left hand. They stood pistols pointed at each others head.

"Bad move. You're going to jail for a long time for that." She grinned.

"You're as good as they say Ms. Fox. Since your way hasn't been working, how about we try mine?" He asked

"Don't try anything stupid again or I'll put you down!" She snarled, clearly angry.

"I'm putting my gun away." He holstered his pistol and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a wallet.

"What's?" Carmelita gaped. The lupine displayed a shining badge of some sort. "You're Law enforcement?" She asked amazed as she lowered her gun.

"Mmm." He replied putting the badge back into his pocket. Carmelita was confused now; she tucked her pistol away back behind her and rubbed her burning hand that took the force of the pistol shot.

"What are you thinking shooting at another officer?" She asked angrily as she walked over to her shock pistol and picked it up.

"I felt threatened. I merely disarmed you. I don't think it's an issue." He said nonchalantly.

"YOU COULD'VE SHOT ME!!!" She barked putting her shock pistol away.

"I never miss." He smiled somewhat.

"Yeah, sure. You could've killed me on accident." She growled.

"You could've accidentally killed me, had your finger slipped when you were aiming your shock pistol at me." He said as he walked up to her.

"I don't slip." She stared at him flatly.

"Yeah, sure." He extended a paw to her. "Perhaps we should be cooperating." He stated. Carmelita hesitated.

"Who are you?" She questioned. The Lupine flinched slightly.

"All I can tell you is that I'm American and part of the Arimahs family." The wolf (who I will be calling Arimahs for now) said. Carmelita sighed.

"Fine, but I want one answer." She said shaking his paw.

"Ask away." Arimahs smiled slightly shaking back. Carmelita pulled him in close to her face.

"What does Matthias want with Sly?" She asked. He knew this was coming.

"Sly has two choices. One, he can go back to being a master thief. Two, he can die." Arimahs said to the vixen. Carmelita's heart sank.

"What are you talking about? Sly can't remember what he was like last week much less how to be a master thief." She cried. It was Arimahs' turn to be confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Carmelita was clearly saddened by what he had said.

"He lost his memory. He has amnesia." She muttered. The lupine thought for several moments.

"Perhaps he is lying." He said bluntly. Carmelita looked Arimahs eye to eye.

"Why would he do that?" She growled softly. Arimahs didn't even blink.

"He's a master thief he lies and steals for a living. Maybe it was to get close to you." He said coolly. Carmelita grabbed the wolf's collar, shaking with anger.

"Sly would never…"

"Trick you. Like in Russia?" He interrupted her. Carmelita pushed him back. She had never thought of the possibility of Sly lying. But why wouldn't he. It got him off the hook for all the crimes he had committed. And it put him in good graces with her. "Where is Sly anyway?" Arimahs asked pulling her out of her thoughts.

"He's in the restaurant." Carmelita seethed.

"I'm surprised you'd leave him alone for so long." He said brushing himself off.

"And why is that?" She asked. Just then the fire alarm inside the restaurant began to wail.

"My brother." Arimahs replied. Carmelita sprinted back to the restaurant drawing her pistol.

Kay that's it for this one hope you all liked it. Next chapter will be more revealing I think. And of course please drop a review if you can. Thanks and see ya'll later.


	7. The Truth

Here's the next chapter. Hope you all like it.

Chapter 7: The Truth

Sly Studied the Coyote head to toe. He was quite an interesting fellow. Without saying a word Sly pushed out the chair across from himself and gestured with his hand for Matthias to sit. Matthias was surprised but sat with a smile on his face.

"What is it?" Sly asked taking a sip of his water. Matthias gathered his thoughts as best he could before speaking.

"Sly...I'd like to know why you've stopped being a thief." Matthias wanted to know that more than any duties he had toward his family. Sly looked confused.

"How do you know I've stopped stealing?" He asked.

"I have my ways." Matthias smiled.

"Not that it's any of your business, but there are far more important things in life than stealing trinkets from lowlifes." He replied truthfully. Matthias chuckled slightly.

"Is that all you were doing?" He asked.

"And avenging my family and regaining my families legacy, yes." Sly replied with a shrug.

"Just to give it up?" Matthias questioned. Sly pondered for a moment. It had been a hard decision, giving up everything he worked so hard for. But Carmelita was worth it and nothing would change his mind about that.

"Yes." He said bluntly.

"For Carmelita?" Matthias asked.

"She's worth it." was all Sly said.

"Quite selfish of you isn't it?" Matthias crossed his arms.

"I'd say giving up my whole life to start a new one with Carmelita is the opposite of selfish." Sly said confused. Matthias shook his head.

"Raleigh, Muggshot, Mz. Ruby, Panda King, Clockwerk, Rajan, The Contessa, Dmitri, Jean Bison, Arpeggio, Neyla, Octavio, General Tsao, Captain Lefwee, and Doctor M." Matthias listed.

"What about them?" Sly said taking another sip of water.

"All Criminals or Psychos in their own right wouldn't you agree?" Matthias asked making a note of how long he's already been at the table.

"Of course." Sly responded not really understanding where this was going.

"All rehabilitated, dead or rotting in prison. And who was responsible for capturing them or stopping them?" Matthias smirked.

"Carmelita." Sly answered.

"Sure Carmelita arrested them, but you and your gang were responsible for all of it. Don't you see Sly? That is the true purpose of the Coopers." Matthias was getting anxious. Any moment now Carmelita would come back, and that would not be good for the Coyote. Sly thought for a moment. Most of the time the Cooper gang benefited from their jobs. Getting the Thievius Raccoonus back. Getting the Clockwerk parts. Recruiting team members. But Matthias spoke the truth. Sly and his gang had stopped some of the worst villains that ever lived.

"I never looked at it that way." He said a little stunned.

"Now imagine if your gang hadn't stopped any of them." Matthias said.

"That's an ugly thought." Sly laughed.

"Exactly. Now do you think there will still be people like them?" Matthias asked.

"Of course." Sly responded.

"But now there's no Cooper gang to stop them." Matthias said sounding slightly saddened. Sly laughed a little.

"There was nobody to stop them before my gang." Sly replied.

"Your whole family has lived and died as thieves. Thieves that protected the world from villians." Matthias chuckled. Sly was speechless. His family...he never thought of them like that. He thought they were just stealing to see how good they were. Apparently the money was just one of the perks.

"How do you know so much about me and my family?" Sly asked.

"I am an Arimahs. My family are the sworn protectors of the Cooper family." Matthias answered looking at the clock on the wall nervously.

"Protect my family?" Where were you guys when my father and mother were killed?" Sly asked fairly angry. His parents were the only subject that caused him to be so...emotional. Matthias instantly grew pale.

"One of my Brothers failed to protect you all." He said sadly.

"I see." Sly said flatly.

"He was...killed for his mistake. The Arimahs do not tolerate incompetence. Especially when it comes to the protection of a Cooper. Matthias said taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." Sly said.

"As am I that he didn't protect your family." Matthias sighed.

"So you and your family want me to go back to being a thief huh?" Sly asked.

"That is correct." Matthias' hope swelled.

"And if I refuse?" Sly said lifting a brow.

"If you refuse...we kill you." Matthias said barely above a whisper.

"Wouldn't that end the Cooper line." The raccoon asked.

"Well we eliminate you, Bentley, Penelope, and Murray. We recover the Thievius Raccoonus and then create a new line of thieves to protect the world." Matthias said bluntly.

"Kind of harsh wouldn't you say?" Sly asked.

"Perhaps. But we don't ask more of you than is expected of the Arimahs." Matthias replied.

"So the universe is really against me and Carmelita being together." Sly thought with a laugh. The woman he loved or the world? Sly's head was beginning to hurt.

"I..." Sly was cut off by the fire alarm. He and Matthias stood to their feet. Matthias looked at Sly with a smile.

"I hope you take what i said into consideration. I expect your answer by tomorrow." He said before dashing toward a fire exit. Sly sighed as he watched the coyote flee.

"What am I gonna do?"

-------------------------

All done hope you liked this chapter somewhat. Thanks for reading and leave a review if you can. Thanks.


	8. Assailant

Heylo everyone Valin's back for another round of Sly Cooperness. / Anyway let's start with the reviewers.

Heiduska-You are awesome thanks so much for the review.

Pride1289-Thanks alot for the review. And the poke made me type even faster )

Claire Cooper-Thanks, and hopefully the story will get tear jerky by the time I'm done with it.

Lightning Streak-Thank you for the compliment and the review )

Welis-Thanks for the review and an updated chapter of my darkstalkers fic is coming soon...

lightheart77-Thanks for the reviews. Also could you tell me the exact sentence in chapter three so I can fix it. Thanks.

This chapter was completely freestyle with no edtit or what not so there may be some mistakes. Hopefully not. Well here goes the next chapter.

**Chapter 8**

**Assailant**

Carmelita jumped at the loud ringing emanating from the restaurant. She glared at the wolf in front of her.

"What did you…"

"You better go now. He could have Sly already." Arimahs cut her off calmly. Carmelita didn't give it a second thought. Sly was more important than anything else to her right now. She dashed for the restaurant.

The panic inside the restaurant made Matthias' exit that much easier. He swerved and navigated through the hectic crowd with ease. He was fairly happy at the result of his conversation with Sly. He expected the raccoon to react worlds differently than he had. Matthias walked out of a fire exit followed by several other terrified customers. Whoever had pulled the fire alarm had cut him short but also gave him reason for a quick getaway. Anything was better than getting caught by Inspector Fox.

'I'll have to thank whoever pulled the alarm. Probably --------." He thought with a smile. But why was there a feeling of dread deep in the pit of his stomach? Why did it feel like he should stay there close to Sly…

Sly strolled casually toward a fire exit. Where ever the fire was it was nowhere near him so he figured there was really no need for rash actions.

'Where's Carmelita?' He thought. He wasn't really afraid something had happened to her. She was a tough girl. It would take a lot more than a measly fire to take her out. He merely wanted to be in her presence once again. Sly opened the door and walked down its step into the back alley of the restaurant. It was empty of people, most probably already gone or out front. Sly took a step toward the street but stopped in his tracks. He could feel someone, something watching him. He drew his shock pistol and scanned the area around him. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was turned around quickly by an unknown force and his shock pistol was sent tumbling down the alley away from him. Reacting purely on instinct Sly threw a vicious kick at his assailant's chest sending the stranger reeling and propelling Sly away from him in the process. Sly landed nimbly on his feet and searched around himself for a weapon finding a light metal pipe not to different from his staff.

"You will die here Sly Cooper." Sly looked up to see a heavily cloaked person. He or she was only a bit taller than Sly and was concealed from head to toe by a black cloak. A large hood concealed its face. A large black night-stick looking object was in his hand.

"And you are?" Sly asked calmly.

"Your executioner." The person spoke before leaping at the raccoon, bringing a swift overhead blow downward toward Sly's head. He easily blocked sweeping his leg in an attempt to trip the cloaked being. His assailant was quick though and leapt up and backward. They were at a standstill again.

"You're not bad." Sly smirked. The cloaked person said nothing…

Carmelita was having trouble getting through the restaurant the flames were all over and Sly was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't exited from the front or she would have seen him on her way back in.

'If this restaurant wasn't so big.' She thought with a growl as she continued her search.

Sly dodged more and more blows, each one getting closer to its target. This guy was good, maybe even better than him.

'I'll have to try something dangerous.' Sly thought as another attack barely missed his forehead. As the cloaked person swung downward hard once again Sly braced himself and shot upward. The club crashed into Sly's shoulder sending painful shockwaves throughout his body that he would have to ignore for the time being. As hard as he could he threw a head butt toward his assailant sending him tumbling onto his back. Sly knew this was his chance he leapt toward his shock pistol. As he picked it up and turned to aim it the man was already barreling toward him. Without thinking Sly fired a shot. The electricity from the gun traveled at a fairly quick speed. However it never connected with its intended target. The Cloaked man swung his club downward straight at the electricity. The club seemed to absorb the shot into itself. Sly had no time to react, the now electrically charged club connected with his chest sending him sprawling to the floor, unconscious. As the cloaked man stepped toward the raccoon several daggers pierced the ground in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

Matthias stood on the roof opposite of the restaurant looking down with anger. It didn't matter if Sly quit his thievery he was still Matthias' to protect for the time being and he would not let him be killed.

"I suggest you stay away from him." Matthias said with anger in his voice.

"And if I don't?" The cloaked man asked coolly.

"Then you deal with me." Matthias smirked as he pulled out eight more daggers from his pockets. The cloaked man simply turned and walked away. Matthias hadn't felt like fighting anyway, it was his job to protect Sly, not fight his battles for him. Matthias leapt off the roof and walked toward Sly.

Carmelita was finding it hard to breathe. The flames nearly were surrounding her now and she decided that Sly had to have made it out. She looked around and noticed a fire exit just across the room. She Ran to it and burst through to the fresh air.

Matthias Spun around to see Carmelita Fox staring at him, standing over Sly.

'Oh crap.' Matthias thought dryly. Carmelita hadn't noticed Sly at first. All she saw was the crazed coyote. When she did notice Cooper on the ground waves of anger and sorrow surged through her body.

"What did you do to him?" She growled aiming her shock pistol at Matthias' chest.

"I…"

"You're under arrest criminal." She growled cutting him off. Matthias sighed before easily leaping back onto the roof of the building opposite the restaurant. Carmelita took several shots before the Coyote made his escape. Carmelita rushed to Sly's side grabbing his hand. Sly stirred and looked up at the beautiful vixen that had a very concerned look on her face.

"Hi there beautiful." Sly smiled.

"Are you hurt Sly?" She asked a hint of fear in her voice.

"I'm fine." Sly said before sitting up.

"You had me worried Cooper." Carmelita smirked before playfully punching him on the shoulder that he had been hit on causing him to wince.

"How about we go home Carmelita, I'm pretty tired." Sly suggested.

"You're sure you don't need medical attention?" She asked helping him to his feet.

"I'm sure." He said as they walked toward the front of the restaurant.

Well there you go I have scene block / I know exactly where I want to take the story but the specifics are messing me up xD. Anyway drop a review and thanks for reading. See ya'll later.


	9. The Ride Home

Matthias heart pounded like a drum as he waited atop the roof of the building

Okay guys I'm back and hopefully permanently this time. I'm not sure if I should continue this story but I'll try. Here's the deal. If I get 6 different reviews I will write another chapter. I need to know that there is some sort of interest in this story to continue.

Thoughts are in ' '

Spoken dialogue in " "

Chapter 9 "The ride home"

Matthias heart raced as he waited atop the roof of the building. Everything had been going perfect, and just like that it had fell apart. Not only had he threatened Carmelita, in her eyes he had attacked Sly as well.

"Great." He sighed as he checked the time on his cell. 9:00 p.m. 'I don't have much time.' He sighed. Every minute was precious and right now he couldn't do anything. If Carmelita really did think he was trying to hurt Cooper then he'd probably have a much harder time getting close to the Raccoon. 'This isn't possible.' He thought with a growl.

Sly was hurt. That much was clear to Carmelita. So why wouldn't he agree to go to the hospital? He had cringed when she helped him to his feet, though he apparently thought she hadn't noticed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as they walked through the panicked crowd of onlookers gathered at the front of the restaurant. She'd probably have to investigate this fire but her priority at the moment was Sly.

"I'm fine." He smiled as he rotated his arm a bit. It hurt somewhat but nothing worth panicking over. Carmelita giggled.

"Heck of a first date huh?" Carmelita mentally kicked herself before she even finished the sentence. The strain of the days events had finally gotten to her. She hadn't meant to speak the words but they came out anyway. She blushed a deep crimson. Sly grinned.

"Any time I get to spend with you is wonderful Inspector Fox." He said placing he arm around her as they continued to her car. She blushed more.

"This is so stupid!" Matt barked angrily. He followed Carmelita's car by rooftop, Making sure she couldn't spot him in her rearview mirror. "I can't believe she thinks I hurt Sly!" He ran across a clothes line with ease. Things hadn't exactly gone as he planned but it could have been a lot worse. After all he had revealed everything to Sly. Well, mostly everything. Then there was Carm. The vixen would definitely be keeping Cooper under constant supervision. "9:15." He read as he glanced at his cell. Usually he was relaxed by running the rooftops. But not now. This could be his last day alive and it had to be dedicated to watching the thief.

"He's done a lot though." He thought with a pang of guilt. There was no question the Cooper family accomplished more then Interpol ever had. Course they had been around a lot longer as well. Sly would be hindered in Interpol. The justice system was flawed, it was common knowledge. The Cooper gang wasn't perfect, but it got things done. Matthias had been the protector for several years now and it seemed like everything he had accomplished would mean nothing.

"Why did father do this?" Something was wrong and Matthias would get to the bottom of it after he finished his job.

"There's someone after you." Carmelita blurted out as she turned the steering wheel. The ride home had been quiet until that point. They had both been deep in though, though Sly hadn't decided to voice his. He decided to play along.

"What do you mean?" Carmelita took a deep breath as she sorted her thoughts.

"There's a coyote. I think he might be insane or something." Sly lifted a brow.

"Why is he after me?" Carmelita thought carefully for a moment.

'If I tell him the truth he might remember everything. And I've already lied to him so much.' Sly waited patiently for her response. He liked it when she quarreled with her morals. If she told him the truth then she really cared about him. Cared enough to reveal his past to keep him safe. And if she lied, well if she lied then she cared about him more then she cared about her own beliefs, and that meant a lot coming from the fox.

"All I know is his name's Matthias and…"

"And what?" He asked, his interest piqued at this point. Carmelita's stomach ached. She couldn't tell him the truth. Not after everything that had happened.

"And he wants to kill you."

"I see." He whispered. It wasn't exactly a lie but Sly figured she knew a whole lot more.

"And how exactly do you know this inspector?" He asked staring straight ahead, trying to look as indifferent as possible.

"He came to the station and was sent to my office on accident, he attacked me." She said making another turn. They were almost home. Sly's heart skipped a beat as anger consumed him, but only for a moment.

'Is she lying?' He pondered. Perhaps this was one of her lies to get him from talking to Matthias. It was very possible, after all. She was trying to convince him that the coyote was a threat. Her car pulled into a parking spot in front of her apartment

"Look just be careful okay?" She sighed as she put the car into park. Sly chuckled.

"Oh inspector. I didn't know you cared so much." He smiled.

"Shut up Cooper." She said playfully as they walked to her apartment.

Okay that's it for this chapter. Remember all it takes is 6 reviews from different people and I'll continue. Thanks again everybody and hopefully see you soon.


	10. Time Together

Carmelita unlocked her apartment door and entered followed closely by Sly

Hey Everyone. Yes my bluff was called and I got only 3 reviews. It's okay I'm gonna finish this story anyway and I would assume that some people are at least reading it since I'm getting some hits. Anyway please people drop a review I really appreciate any feedback, even it's just to say you want me to read your story. On to the reviews from last chapter…

Evil Cooper: Thanks for the review hope you like this chapter.

Evilhumor Author: YEAH!

Poker454: Couldn't agree with you more. Just one more chapter and then things start taking off.

Oh yeah and just so everyone knows I made a slight change.

Spoken dialogue is in " "

Thoughts are italicized

Well here we go.

Chapter 10 "Time Together"

Carmelita unlocked her apartment door and entered followed closely by Sly. She placed her jacket on the coat rack and checked the time.

9:45 p.m.

"I'm gonna take a shower Sly." She said to him as her stomach let out a loud rumble. Sly laughed a little as he hung up his cap.

"How about a Pizza?" He shouted to her since she was already in her room.

"That sounds great!" Came the hollered response. After placing the order, delivery of course, he decided to take a quick shower as well. Carmelita's new apartment was huge; two bedroom, two bathroom, kitchen, living room, the works. She had gotten a new one shortly after Sly had returned with her, hence the lack of much security. He took a fast shower, rotating his arm more to get it to stop hurting. It did. He threw on a pair of loose blue shorts and a white wife beater.

10:10 p.m.

Sly glanced at the clock as he went to answer the door.

"That'll be 16.22." The young skunk smiled as he handed the pizza to Sly.

"Here you go. Keep the change." Cooper handed him a fifty and closed the door.

"Wait! Sir you gave me a fifty!" the skunk stopped the door from closing with his foot.

"I know." Sly smiled one of his signature smiles.

"Thanks!" The skunk laughed dumbstruck as he moved his foot and let Sly close the door. Money wasn't really important to the ringtail. If he really needed any he had easy ways of getting it. "Carmelita pizza's here!" He yelled.

"Okay!" She answered. The shower had soothed her nerves. She pulled her brush through her hair with quiet enthusiasm, after all she'd still get to have dinner with Cooper…

Everything was quiet at the Fox apartment. Matthias paced back and forth as he watched through the windows impatiently. Neither Fox nor Sly could be seen from his vantage point.

10:00 p.m.

Usually it would be safe for Matt to go home, but something was bothering the coyote. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Sure he could be dead by the same time tomorrow. But that wasn't it. As he contemplated all the possible ways an attacker could infiltrate the apartment he couldn't shake the feeling of dread deep in his gut. Like something terrible was going to happen. Something that would change his whole world. He was growing tired and restless with each passing moment.

_Maybe I can go home._ He thought with a yawn. A delivery boy walked up to the door carrying a pizza. Matthias looked on preparing to strike.

_Another Assassin? _He readied several daggers in case he had to act. False alarm. He put his throwing knives away.

I better stay…

Sly sat down on the couch before placing the pizza on the coffee table in front of himself.

_I'll wait for Carm. _He decided. With a sigh he picked up the remote and clicked the television on. There wasn't really anything interesting so he settled on some movie about bank robbers.

"You waited for me?" Carmelita asked with a smile. The raccoon turned to see one of the most breathtaking sights he'd ever laid eyes upon. She was wearing a pair of loose silk pants and a white silk tank top. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, not constrained by anything.

"I…you…yes?" He babbled, mesmerized by her beauty. She emanated an ethereal radiance that took his breath away. She sat next to him with a chuckle.

"You okay Constable?" She grabbed a paper plate and a slice of the pizza.

"Fi…I'm fine." He said, voice crackling a bit. He grabbed some pizza and tried to turn his attention to the T.V. Tried. Carmelita was surprised at what he decided to watch.

_What are the chances? _She thought as she took another bite of pizza. Sly had a devilish idea.

"Ever wonder what it'd be like to be a thief?" he asked her with a straight face. Carmelita flushed white as a ghost. Sly continued to eat, struggling not to laugh. Her heart raced.

"I loath thieves." She answered honestly trying to act unfazed. It worked. Sly nearly choked on his food, coughing hard. Carmelita patted him on the back. With a bit of determination Sly swallowed the mouthful.

"I see." Sly smiled. Carmelita walked to the kitchen.

"Pepsi?" She asked from the other room.

"Sure!" He replied before changing the channel to the news.

"A fire erupted today at Le Bistro restaurant causing severe damage. Employee's claim they had no idea as to the source of the accident when questioned by police. However several noted seeing a cloaked person leaving the scene by rooftop. Investigations are still taking place." The newscaster finished before they started reporting on something else. Sly changed the channel. Carmelita came back with two glasses full of ice and Pepsi.

"Thanks!" Sly said enthusiastically. He took a long drink and then went back to flipping through the channels. Before long he stopped, a look of disappointment on his face.

"What's wrong?" The fox asked concerned.

"I just realized something."

"What?"

"Television is rubbish." Sly laughed. Carmelita nearly shot soda out of her nose, forcing herself not to laugh too hard…

Matthias was slowly slipping in and out of consciousness. This forced surveillance had come at such an unfortunate time. He had been tossing and turning the night before, haunted by the nightmares of his past. He could barely keep his eyes open let alone watch the apartment for any activity. Still, his life depended on Sly's and getting a couple hours of sleep was definitely not worth dying over. With a long yawn he stood to his feet and began pacing again.

_Gotta stay awake. _He slapped himself a couple time. It was nearly midnight and there were no signs of foul play but the coyote was still wary of leaving the domicile. The sudden ringing of his cell phone nearly sent him tumbling off the side of the building. _Who the heck is calling me now? _He thought with a growl as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" He asked after answering it. No response came. "Hello?" he asked again. Still nothing. "Look if you don't…"

"Midnight." A deep voice interrupted him, obviously masked by some kind of device. The line went dead. Matthias was puzzled.

11:45 p.m.

"Guess I'm in for a surprise!" He grinned…

Sly slowly opened his eyes to find Carmelita nuzzled against his chest sound asleep. He blushed a deep scarlet. They had decided to watch one of her movies and apparently he'd fallen asleep before her because he could not recall her getting this close.

_Then she moved to me? _He decided not to wake her. Without making a sound he carefully lifted her and carried her to the bedroom. She looked so beautiful he couldn't help but smile as he laid her on the bed. _Maybe this was the perfect plan._ He gently swept some of the hair away from her face and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I love you." He whispered and then tip toed out of the room.

12:15 a.m.

He walked to his room feeling drowsy. He had already been up a good eighteen hours and his nice warm bed was calling his name. As he entered his room he noticed two things out of place. One, his window was wide open, fresh air blowing in. Two, there was a nice oak case on his bed.

_Better be careful._ He approached the bed with caution. A small piece of paper was attached to it with a note scribbled on it. With a trembling hand he pulled the paper off and read…

"Sly Cooper, do not worry about your gang. I have hired bodyguards to protect them while you go through this ordeal with the Arimahs. I know you can take care of yourself but I figured you may be needing this anyway…" He held his breath, hesitantly opening the case.

"No way?!" He gasped, laying eyes on the treasure inside. He delicately lifted his family cane out of the case with a huge smile. He expertly twirled it in his hands with ease, throwing it up and catching it several times before getting distracted by a string of peculiar noises coming from outsides his window. They were barely perceptible but the raccoons senses were impeccable. He looked out to see two canines face to face on the roof across the street.

_I should check it out. _He grinned as he twirled his cane joyously and leapt out the window…

And that's it. Next chapter There will be some action and some more confusing stuff so I hope you come back next week. Remember review as much as possible and thanks a lot for reading. See you soon. : )

Next week Chapter 11: "Brother vs. Brother"


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